


Alone Together

by MorganaMagics



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Beating, Broken Bones, Child Abuse, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Douxie, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Young Douxie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28389672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganaMagics/pseuds/MorganaMagics
Summary: Douxie gets himself into trouble and a dragon saves his life.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Alone Together

Hisirdoux sat in the prickly mountain of a fresh stack of hay. He had crawled in during the night, seeking shelter in the dryness of one of the nicer horse stables in his village. Rain was coming down outside, soaking the ground until the dirt clumped together to become the type of mud that was impossible to walk through. 

Stomach growling, Hisirdoux reached into his shirt. He pulled out a small bundle of grimy cloth, the same one he used if he needed a makeshift bandage for the times he got himself hurt. He unfolded the cloth, smiling down at the prize inside. The prize was a small half-eaten bun. An older woman had given it to him in the last town he visited as a thank you for helping her run an errand. It was stale, and some bugs had gotten into it, but Hisirdoux didn’t care. He wouldn’t waste such a precious gift of kindness. He received so few of them after all. 

The rain grew louder, drowning out the sound of Hisirdoux’s chewing and the squelching of boots against the muddy ground outside. If Hisirdoux would have heard them, maybe he would have had enough time to run away or even hide? Either way, at this moment, he didn’t hear a thing, just the rain and his own stomach growing for more of the bread fisted in his bone-thin hands. 

A door creaked open and a man walked in with a lantern hanging in one hand. He gasped on seeing Hisirdoux, lips forming into a thin line and brow creasing into a deep frown. 

“Who are you?” the man barked and he stepped closer, boxing Hisirdoux in against the mound of hay at his back. 

Hisirdoux gave the man a crooked smile, too nervous to make one that was even close to being the usual sweet grin that sometimes managed to help him out of tight spots such as this one. 

“Sir, I mean no harm. I got caught in the rain. I swear I’ll leave as soon as it lets up.” When the man’s frown only deepened, Hisirdoux scrambled for more incentive. “I...I’ll pay you back,” he promised. “I have no money but I’ll scrub your stables! Anything you need.”

The man barked a laugh and Hisirdoux’s stomach twisted at the sound. He failed to keep his smile and as the man grabbed him by the front of the shirt, Hisirdoux was shaking with fear. His bun had fallen from his hands, disappearing into the hay for the mice to find later. 

“You think you can get away so easy after invading my property, boy?” the man hissed, spit flying to speckle Hisirdoux’s cheeks. “I ought to make an example of you! Show those homeless bastards in the streets not to mess with me!”

A fist buried itself into the space below Hisirdoux’s ribs. The boy choked, bending at the middle as spit flew from his mouth. The man let him go and Hisirdoux collapsed into the hay with a hard  _ thud _ . A foot stomped down on his back and Hisirdoux heard the wicked  _ crack _ of his ribs before he felt the impossibly hot flare of pain run up the right side of his body. 

“Little brat. This will teach you.”

The man lifted his boot, this time kicking Hisirdoux in the face. Tears finally broke free, flowing down Hisirdoux’s face to mix with the blood now dribbling down his chin. 

The boot came at Hisirdoux again but the boy sucked in a breath, dragging himself to his feet and out the stable doors with a push of desperate energy. Hisirdoux could hear the man yelling at him from behind but he dared not to stop or look back. He tripped through the mud until he was out of the village and running through the overgrown trail of a nearby forest. His clothes were soaked through, dark with blood and water. 

Hisirdoux tripped over his feet as the mud grew too sticky and he tumbled off the trail, rolling down an incline of rocky terrain and brush until the firm arm of a broken tree broke his fall. Hisirdoux coughed, the wind knocked out of him, and curled up into himself despite how much the position hurt his ribs. He couldn’t move, adrenaline completely used up. The little energy he did have left was being used by his body to make him shiver against the cold droplets of rain pelting him from above. 

“Fire,” Hisirdoux panted to himself. “I need...to keep warm. Or...or I’ll…” he trailed off, speaking using up too much energy. 

With a shallow breath, Hisirdoux uncurled himself, crying out at the sudden wave of pain it gave him. He bit through it, holding his palms to his chest as he summoned heat to the cup of his hands. It took a moment but a small fire barely the size of a coin came to life. It glowed blue, a gentle color that brought a calming feeling to the boy’s body.

The snapping of a tree branch sent terror through Hisirdoux’s heart. He forced himself to lift his head, fearing that the man who had hurt him had followed him despite the unyielding weather. 

A shadow caught Hisirdoux’s eye but it was not in the shape of a man. Hisirdoux blinked, mouth falling open in awe as a small dragon with black scales peaked at him from behind a small thicket of brush. The dragon had a pair of circular glasses on the tip of his nose. They were tipped slightly and covered in a thick film of rain droplets. 

Most people would be terrified to see a dragon when hurt and bleeding. Not Hisirdoux. He smiled at the dragon and held out his cupped hands, showing the dragon the blue flame barely warming his own body. 

“There’s plenty to share,” Hisirdoux said, his voice small, almost too weak to be heard over the patter of rain. “You must be cold too.”

The dragon tipped his head to the side and then carefully approached Hisirdoux. It looked at the wounds covering Hisirdoux’s face and then sniffed the boy’s waist, no doubt smelling the cracked ribs hidden beneath cloth, skin, and muscle. 

A strange cooing noise left the dragon and he curled himself around Hisirdoux, folding his wings around them to create a protective shield from the unending weather. The dragon then blew a small flame from his mouth, red mixing with the blue of Hisirdoux’s own flame. The flames danced together, creating a harmonious mix of red and blue. The flame was stronger like this and Hisirdoux felt the heat of it even in his chilled bones. 

Soft scales nuzzled Hisirdoux’s cheek. A soft purr rumbled from the dragon and the tears returned to Hisirdoux’s eyes for an entirely different reason now. He nuzzled the dragon back with his own cheek and the dragon let out a happy coo. 

“I’m Douxie,” the boy said as he met the dragon’s dark eyes. “Thank you. For...for all this.”

“No need to thank me,” the dragon said back and Hisirdoux eyes widened, not expecting to get a verbal response. 

The dragon pushed the flames from Hisirdoux’s hands so the boy’s hands were free. The fire sat on the forest floor, seeming unbothered about being left in the damp. It still burned just as hot. 

“I’m Archie,” the dragon introduced himself. “Now...sleep, Douxie. I’ll watch over you.”

Hisirdoux’s hands wrapped around Archie. He snuggled closer to the dragon, barely registering the pain in his body anymore. All he knew was that he wanted to be closer to Archie. They were alone together but that was fine. As long as they were together, Hisirdoux could feel it, they would be alright.

**Author's Note:**

> There needs to be way more Douxie and Archie content in this fandom so I’ve come to deliver.


End file.
